Pick of the Week: HP Unveils New Z Workstations

Hewlett-Packard (HP; Palo Alto, CA) has announced the new HP Z230 Workstation, an entry-level system designed for design engineers, knowledge workers, and creative designers using applications like Autodesk AutoCAD and Adobe Photoshop. The HP Z230 workstation is available in tower or small form factor (SFF) configurations and equipped with your choice of Intel Xeon or Intel Core i7 processors. In a companion announcement, HP announced its new Z Display family, calling these the first displays optimized for professional use on Z workstations.

The HP Z230 workstations are designed for always-on environments and offer a 92% efficient power supply, according to HP. Features include your choice of quad-core Intel processors ranging from the 3.20GHz Intel Core i5-4570 processor with 6MB cache to the 3.60GHz Intel Xeon processor E3-1280 with 8MB cache with hyper-threading support. The HP Z230 workstations support up to 32GB of memory, and their integrated SATA controller supports RAID 0,1 at up to 6 GB/sec. Depending upon your graphics accelerator card selection, the HP Z230 workstations can support up to six monitors.

Available in tower (right) or small form factor (left) configurations, the new HP Z230 Workstation is built for demanding application workloads, says HP. Image courtesy of Hewlett-Packard.

Both workstations offer integrated Intel I217LM PCIe GbE networking controllers and, optionally, Intel Ethernet I210-T1 PCIe as a second NIC (network interface controller). Front, rear, and internal ports include USB 3.0 and USB 2.0, DVI-I single link and DisplayPort, microphone in, and headphone out. IEEE 1394b ports are available optionally. Also provided are high-definition integrated Realtek ALC221 audio and integrated speaker.

Supported operating systems include Windows 8 Pro (64-bit), Windows 7 Professional (32-bit), HP Linux Installer Kit, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 (90-day license), and Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop/Workstation (one-year paper license; no preinstalled OS).

In its standard desktop orientation, the HP Z230 SFF workstation measures 3.95 x 13.3 x 15.0 in. (10.5 x 33.83 x 38.15 cm), approximately 57% smaller than the tower’s form factor. Features include a 240-watt power supply and six drive bays including a 2.5-in HD bay for high-speed solid-state drives. An optional ergonomic “Handle in Top ODD Bay” allows tool free installation of SSD hard drives. Graphics options for HP Z230 SFF workstation include integrated Intel HD Graphics and NVIDIA 2D-optimized NVS cards as well as AMD FirePro V3900 and NVIDIA Quadro 3D graphics accelerators

Outfitted with a 400-watt power supply, the HP Z230 Tower Workstation measures 15.7 x 6.7 x 17.4 in. (39.93 x 17.04 x 44.25 cm). Graphics options for the HP Z230 Tower workstation include those listed for the SFF model above as well as mid-range NVIDIA Quadro K2000 and high-end AMD FirePro and NVIDIA Quadro K4000 graphics accelerators for 3D graphics applications. The HP Z230 Tower Workstation, says HP, has earned a wide range of ISV certifications.

The new HP Z Displays are professional-level monitors optimized for use with HP Z series workstations, according to HP. Image courtesy of Hewlett-Packard.

HP says its new HP Z Display family—the Z22i, Z23i, and Z24i IPS models—is optimized for the HP Z series workstations as well as for professional use in commercial environments. Built with IPS (in-plane switching) Gen 2 LCD (liquid crystal display) panels, HP reports that these monitors deliver a power savings of approximately 26% compared to its first-generation IPS technology products. Z Displays are ENERGY STAR qualified and EPEAT Gold registered. Each model features an HP four-way adjustable stand and is TCO Certified. The HP Z22i and Z23i also have achieved the TCO Certified Edge designation.

“Our customers want products that are designed and engineered to meet the most demanding computing and visualization needs,” said Jeff Wood, vice president, worldwide product management, commercial solutions business Unit, HP, in a prepared statement. “The new HP Z230 Workstations and Z Displays meet these workload demands at an affordable price, and demonstrate HP’s leadership in providing solutions for professional solutions at all levels.”

The HP Z22i, Z23i, and Z24i Displays are available today for starting prices of $239, $259, and $399, respectively. The HP Z230 Workstations start at $999 for quad-core configurations.

For more information on the HP Z230 Workstations, click here.

Watch a video introduction to the new HP Z230 workstations.

Download HP Z230 Tower and SFF data sheet.

Download a technical white paper on the HP Z230 chasis.

Watch the video on “Why HP Workstations?”

Click here for more information on the new HP Z Displays.

See why DE’s editors selected the HP Z230 Workstation as their Pick of the Week.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.